The Art of Weighing Trade-Offs in Creative Decision Making
Reading Notes
2 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended
Topics and Themes
Evaluating all options; Trade-off consciousness; Making informed decisions
This was me before I considered the trade-offs in every decision:
"I can do anything. Every possible option holds value and significance. The more I work, the better it is. You never know what might turn out to be profitable, so why not do it all?”
This is me after I considered the trade-offs in every decision:
"I will do one thing, and I’ll do it exceptionally well. I accept the sacrifices. I expect that one thing will bring me success.”
The Meaning of Decision
The word "decision" carries a certain sharpness. Just look at the Latin word it comes from: decidere.
“De,” meaning off or away. “Caedere,” meaning to cut.
Decidere means to cut off.
The word "decision" suggests that each time we make a choice, we cut off numerous options.
And there’s the rub… the trade-offs. We can’t do everything, so we need to make do with the best option we’ve got. Unfortunately, there's always trade-offs. Always. Even with easy decisions. We just find it easy to make the easy decisions because we’re already okay with the trade-offs.
The Wisdom of Evaluating Trade-Offs
Here’s the great news:
Considering the trade-offs beforehand allows for spectacularly powerful decisions. Doing so enables us to find the best possible option and fully commit to it.
If we can see that option A is something we actually want, if options B, C, D, E, and F are just stupid, then we can cut them out and simply go for option A. Because we considered the tradeoffs and cut off the hanger-ons, we significantly enhance our well-being, creativity, and professional success. No more harried, “I gotta do everything” moments. Sweet!
Here’s an example:
I wanted more energy to create music, teach more effectively, and write better blogs (Hopefully? Ahem? Maybe?). I decided to sacrifice the immense fun of smoking cigars, eating out, and watching movies during my four-day workweek. I save all this fun stuff for my slothful three-day weekend. During the four-day workweek, though, I make those trade-offs.
I used to get annoyed with myself for having a lack of energy when it came to consistent engagement in my professional life. Now, I can coast though my workweek with a greater ease. I create more music, write more effectively (Again, maybe?), and am more available to my students.
Only time will tell whether I stick to this routine. So far, it’s working out. I’m used to the trade-offs. I made a conscious decision to create more balance, fully aware of the sacrifices. I achieved that balance.
Final Thought
Let’s end this conversation on a bang, why don’t we?
Thomas Sowell wisely pointed out:
“There are no decisions. There are only trade-offs.”
Whoa.
This post was inspired and influenced by Essentialism by Greg McKeown. I totally recommend it.